●● East side of Shiga Prefecture 滋賀県東部 ●●
** Omi Hachiman City 近江八幡市
Omi Hachiman City is located in the east side of Biwa Lake and it was once thrived as a town of merchants. The town was originally developed as a castle town by Toyotomi Hidetsugu ( relative of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who was a warrior commander once unified Japan in 16th century ). With the impressive construction of canals called ” Hachiman Bori ” built as trading routes still remaining in the city, the traditional townscape of this area is designated as a special preservation areas for historic landscape. These water routes served themselves as a main source of transportation before the times of automobiles. You can imagine how it was when the town was thriving as a commercial hub. There is a boat tour provided to cover the large area of water along the canal.
** Himure Hachimangu Shrine 日牟禮八幡宮
Himure Hachimangu Shrine is located at the foot of Mt. Hachiman in this area. The original form of shrine was built in here in 131. The shrine has a great historical significance for holding a meaning of old time famous poem. During the reign of Emperor Ichijo there were 2 shrines one on the top of the mountain and another one at the foot of the mountain. It was during the time of Toyotomi Hedeyori the location of the shrine was moved to the current place in order to build his castle on the top of the mountain. The shrine hosts a large festival called Sagicho Fire Festival every May which involves building a large fire. The festival started here during the time of Oda Nobunaga. There is a service of cable car ride to reach to the top of the mountain to see the castle remain.
Trans-word+ : TGM Japan Guide
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